Apparatus for operating on soles



A. R. RIDDERSTROM APPARATUS FOR OPERATING ON SOLES Nov. 15, 1949 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed ov. 19, 1941 4 Nov, 15, 1949 A. R.RIDDERSTROM 2,488,329

APPARATUS FOR OPERATING 0N SOLE'S Original Filed Nov. 19, 1941 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov; 15, 1949 A. R. RIDDERSTROM APPARATUS FOR OPERATING0N SOLE'S Original Filed Nov. 19, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Nov.15, 1949 NITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE APFARATUS FOR OPERATING ON SOLESAndrew R. Ridderstrom, Nahant, Mass, assignor to Prime ManufacturingCompany, Lynn, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for operating upon shoe soles, andin one aspect comprises improved mechanism for reinforcing soles inacordance with the disclosure of my earlier Patents No. 2,343,226 andNo. 2,393,566. The present application is a division of the applicationsfor the patents above identified.

One object of my invention is to provide improved mechanism for formingloop stitches by which ribbing or reinforcing fabric may be secured tosuch material as sole leather. More specifically, the mechanism of myinvention is designed to carry out the operations of forming a series ofslanting holes extending partially through a piece of sole leather orinsole, depositing successive loops of thread in the holes as formed,and then collapsing the material about the holes upon the thread loopsand thus permanently anchoring them in place.

An important feature of my invention comprises on awl movable togetherwith a feed foot in a substantially elliptical path in a portion ofwhich the awl is actuated to form a slanting hole in sole leather, andin another portion of which the feed foot engages the Work and advancesit. Cooperating with the aWl and feed foot are a needle, a presser footand a hammer, these elements functioning to deposit a thread loop ineach hole and close or collapse the hole by pressing or beating upon theWork in an area adjacent to the hole.

These and other objects and features of the invention will be bestunderstood and appreciated from the following detailed description of apreferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration andshown in the acompanying drawing in which,

Figs. 1-3 are views in cross section, on an enlarged scale, through acore and associated strips of tape,

' Fig. 3a is a fragmentary view of a coil of ribbing as supplied by themanufacturer.

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of an insole embodying the sewing rib ofmy invention,

Figs. 5-9 are views in side elevation showing the movements of amechanism for securing the flange of the sewing rib to an insole by stabstitching,

Fig. is a plan view of the mechanism shown in Figs, 5-9,

I needle,

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the path traveled by the awl,

Fig. 14 is a View in cross-section through an insole embodying amodified form of the invention,

Fig. 15 is a view in cross-section through the toe portion of an insole,

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary view in cross section on an enlarged scalethrough the toe portion of a modified form of insole.

In order that the features are functions of the mechanisms comprisingthe invention may be better understood, I shall first describe theshoemaking background in terms of the invention claimed in my copendingapplications above referred to. A relatively stiff core strip It] madeof cardboard or similar tough fibrous material forms the inner elementof the particular sewing rib herein shown by way of illustration. To theopposite sides of the core In which is shown in Fig. 1 as substantiallyrectangular in cross section, is attached by stitching or otherwise apair of tapes i 2 and I l, one of which is preferably but notnecessarily, somewhat thicker and heavier than the other. As hereinshown a line of stitching l6 secures the upper margins of the tapes tothe core slightly below the center of the latter. The upper half of thecore I0 is accordingly uncovered, the lower portions of the tapes l2 andit extending considerably below the lower edge of the core id, as shownin Fig. 1. The inner faces of the tapes i2 and Id are coated withcohesive cement ll, that is, cement which will stick to other cementedsurfaces but not to unprepared surfaces.

The tape 12 is then turned or folded upwardly and pressed fiat againstthe side of the core I0 with its cohesive coating facing outwardly. Theresult is illustrated in Fig. 3. The ribbing thus formed may, as appearsin Fig. 3a, be wound upon a reel to form a coil. Since the cohesivecement coating ll of both the tapes [2 and I4 faces in the same outwarddirection it will, when coiled, come in contact only with uncoatedportions of the ribbing, and will not stick. Otherwise the coil wouldconsist of laminations ce 3 mentecl together, and it would be impossibleto unroll the tape from it. It will be obvious that cohesive cement mustbe used, since an adhesive cement would defeat the purpose of the itivention.

Laying the 'rib When the coiled ribbing is to be used, it is fed througha machine which first directs the core I in upright position to theinsole blank, as shown in Fig. 2, also turning the tapes I2 and M toform two opposed base flanges perpendicular to the core i0, and thenlays the rib along the margin of the insole 228, which has previouslybeen coated with cohesive cement. The cement ll of the ribbing and thecement on the insole 20 form a firm bond permanently securing the baseflanges of the tapes to the insole with the core l0 held between them inupright position. It will be evident that the cement holds the flangesof the tapes to the insole -23, but since no cement is applied to thecore it, it is the stitching it which holds the core it, through themedium of the tape, securely to the insole and in upright position.After an upper has been lasted to the insole by lasting tacks, staples,or other means, the upper is sewn to the rib, using the conventionalcurved needle which forms a seam running along the base of the ribbeneath the line of the stitching hi. Subsequently the overlasted edgeof the upper and the upper portion of the rib are trimmed off.

It is to be understood that instead of using two separate tapes, asingle tape may be used which carries over the top of the core it andextends down on either side of it. However, this is usually a morewasteful process than the preferred process heretofore described in viewof the fact that most of the portion of the single tape which extendsabove the line of stitching is always trimmed off later on in theshoemaking process. Furthermore, when two tapes are used, inmanufacturing the ribbing, the upper portion of the core Ill may bereceived between guide members which register the core with respect tothe two pieces of tape and thus ensure that the tapes will be stitchedto the core precisely along a predetermined line. Such precision isimpossible when a single piece of folded tape is used and experience hasshown that it is very diflicult to lay a single piece of tape about acore at high speed and with such accuracy that the width of the baseiianges is held to a uniform dimension. There is also the additionaladvantage when separate tapes are used of being able to employ a tape ofgreater thickness on the inside of the rib where greater strength isrequired by the shoemaking process.

Stitching the rib to the sole It has been the practice in shoemaking,when sewing ribs are either applied to an insole or formed by channeledlips, to superpose a rectangular piece of gem duck over the whole insoleblank, press the gem duck upon the sole in the area lying within therib, conform the gem duck to the inside of the rib, and then trim offthe large excess of gem duck projecting above the top of the rib. Thegem duck reinforces the sole and provides a firm anchorage for the seamjoining the upper and the sewing rib, since the upturned edge portion ofthe gem duck forms another ply of such a rib. I have discovered that theapplication of gem duck in this fashion can be eliminated entirelywithout impairing the quality of the product. I accomplish this resulteither in conjunction with the use of the sewing rib heretoforedescribed or in conjunction with an insole in which a sewing rib hasbeen channeled. In the first instance the inside tape i l is made ofheavy duck and the sewing rib is applied to an insole as previouslydiscussed. However, in accordance with my invention, the inside tape Iiimay be secured to the insole not only by the cohesive cement describedabove, but by a process of loop stitching carried on progressively andsimultaneously with the application of the sewing rib to a flat soleblank, and which will now be described in detail.

An awl is used to make a slanting cut or stab through the tape 14 andinto but not through the material of the body of the insole.Subsequently a forked needle inserts and deposits a loop of thread inthe hole formed by the awl, and finally pressure is applied from abovetending to close or collapse the sides of the hole about the insertedloop of thread. Preferably the thread is impregnated with an adhesivewhich sets very quickly under the application of pressure andcontributes to form a secure anchorage for the stitch. Since the stitcheare not carried through the sole, the opposite surface of the sole whichis exposed inside the shoe will be smooth and unbroken.

With the preceding explanation in mind, the features of the mechanismcomprising the present invention may be appreciated. Although thoseskilled in the art will readily appreciate that there may beconsiderable variation in the forms of the elements shown, I prefer touse the mechanism shown in Figs. 5-12. This may include an awl 39carried at the end of an arm 38 and set at an acute angle with relationto the surface of an insole 32 as it is fed into the machine. At thebottom of the arm 36 is a feed foot as having a horizontal bottomprovided with corrugations or teeth. The motion of the awl 30 and thefeed foot 34 is indicated by the diagram in Fig. 13 and is obtained bythe use of eccentric mechanism of the general type disclosed in my priorPatent No. 1,794,20 i. In the indicated path the distance A-B is thewithdrawal stroke. At B the awl meets the surface of the tape on thesole and the inclined and curved path BC represents a period duringwhich the awl 30 is pressed with increasing force downwardly upon thesurface of the tape i i, with very little forward movement. The distanceC--D represents the movement of the awl through the tape [4 and into theinsole 32. Since the point of the awl projects considerably below thecorrugated surface of the feed foot 34, the feed foot does not come intocontact with the tape [4 until the point D is reached. From D to A theawl and the feed foot which is then in contact with the tape M, aremoved to the left. Since the feed foot 34 is in contact with the tape,the awl is not moved with respect to the sole during its travel alongthe path D A and the result is that the sole 32 is fed to the left. Atthe point A the withdrawal begins and the cycle is repeated.

Behind the awl 30 is located a curved needle carried in the end of ashort arm 38. As clearly shown in Figs. 11 and 12 the front side of theneedle is grooved to provide a thread-carrying slot 42, and the point ofthe needle is recessed or forked as shown at 44. The rear side of theneedle has a short groove or slot 46 extending upwardly a short distancefrom the point. A supply of thread 54 impregnated with a suitableadhesive, cement or hot wax, for example, is placed above the needle 40.Behind the needle is a hammer 48 which bears on the surface of the workto hold it firm while the awl and the needle enter the material.Integral with the hammer 48 is a blade extension 50 which presses thetape l4 tightly down on the surface of the insole at the edge cornerformed by the core l and the insole. A presser foot 52 is arrangedbetween the hammer and the needle and is provided with a pointed lowerend.

In Fig. 5 the instrumentalities above described are shown in theirrelative positions after a stitch has been formed and the awl 30 isabout to enter the material at an acute angle to form an oblique pocketfor the reception of the next stitch. In Fig. 6 the hammer 4B, theneedle 4|] and the presser foot 52 are elevated; the awl hasmade itshole and is at the point represented by D in the diagram of Fig. 13. Thefeed foot 34 is now in contact with the surface of the tape M and thesole is about to be fed to the left.

In Fig. 7 the feed foot 34 is shown as having fed the sole to the leftand the hammer has begun to come down again. The awl is now ready toleave the material. Before the awl leaves the material entirely andbefore the hammer comes in contact with the material, the insole 32 canbe swung around the awl, since that is all which then holds the insole.This allows the operator to swing around a sharp bend, as at the toe endof the insole, without moving the hole formed by the awl from its properposition. In Fig. 8

the hammer 48 is shown as having come in contact with the work to holdit firm, the awl is lifted away and the needle carrying the thread 54 isabout to enter the hole made by the awl. In Fig. 9 the needle is shownas having reached the bottom of the hole made by the awl and the presserfoot '52 has come down to bear upon the surface of the tape and pressthe upper side wall of the hole against the thread which has then beenlooped over the point of the needle and into the slot 46. The result isthat when the needle is withdrawn, the presser foot will retain thethread in the awl hole, and after the needle has been withdrawn thepressure of the presser foot will set the adhesive carried by the threadand also close the walls of the hole about the deposited loop of thread.The cycle then begins again, and when the hammer 48 returns to the work,it will flatten out the stitch just formed.

When a suitable quick setting adhesive is used on the thread 54 and thepresser feet 52 and 48 have done their work, it will be found that thestitches cannot be pulled out. In fact they are so securely held inplace that the material of the insole will tear before the stitches willyield.

The mechanism of my invention may also be utilized for operations upon achanneled insole as illustrated in Fig. 14. A leather insole 60 hasformed in its lower margin a rib obtained by channeling in from the edgeof the sole to raise a lip 62 and channeling from the inside of the sole6 3 to form a lip 64. The lips 62 and 64 are raised to vertical positionand cemented together. When the lips are turned up elongated zones orbands of reduced thickness are left in the body of the insole. A tape 66is then laid on the sole so that one portion is upright and in contactwith the inside surface of the lip 64 and the remainder of the tape 66extends along the reduced portion of the insole 60 from which the lip 64was turned up and up along the ad- 6. jacent margin of the unchanneledinterior por tion of the sole 60. With the mechanism described above theloop stitching 68 is formed to secure the tape 66 to the insole 60. Thestitching 69 is preferably laid through the tape and the unchanneledportion of the insole 60, since the thickness of the insole adjacent therib may not be great enough to permit stitching of adequate depth.

I have found that by stitching a tape to an insole in the manner abovedescribed either in conjunction with a prepared sewing rib or with achanneled rib, the resulting insole is strong enough to withstand allthe stresses encoun tered in shoemaking. The tape is so securely held tothe insole that a firm. anchorage is formed for the stitches which laterunite the sewing rib and the upper. Accordingly, it becomes =unnecessaryto use the large blocks or blanks of gem duck heretofore required and itis noteworthy that the amount of gem duck consumed in forming the tape Mor 66, as the case may be, is no more than that which ordinarily hasbeen thrown away as waste material after a block or gem duck has beentrimmed to fit an insole. This results in lessening the cost ofmanufacturing shoes without in any way impairing their quality.

Pleating the toe portion of the tape In the past considerable difficultyhas been encountered in laying tape or gem duck around the inside of thesewing rib on an insole because the sharp curves at the toe portion arelikely to cause ungainly bunching of the tape in that area, as shown inFig. 4. This has been particularly troublesome when a heavy tape or duckhas been used. As the tape is being laid along the relatively straightportions of the sewing rib it is maintained under tension which helps tolay the tape neatly and tightly along the insole. However, when it comesto turning the corner of the toe this tension necessarily lessens andthe slack permits the tape to bulge.

I have discovered that when mechanism of the type illustrated in Figs.5-10 is used, the inside tape about the toe is very neatly pleated insmall, tight pleats, or tucks which do not detract from the appearanceof the insole and which are small enough and flat enough to present, noobstacle to the curved needle later used to unite the sewing rib and theupper. Referring again to Fig. 13, the awl during its travel along thepath B-C has a slight forward movement before the tape is actuallypenetrated. In the straight portions of the rib, the awl slides slightlyover the surface of the tensioned tape I 4, but when a corner is beingturned at the toe and the tension on the tape slacks off, the awl doesnot slide over the tape but carries the tape along the insole for ashort distance before penetrating it. I have found that the short,repeated jabs of the awl form the neat. tight pleats described above andthat when the presser foot 52 and the hammer come down upon thesepleats, they are still further bound down and flattened out.Accordingly, even though it is not found desirable to form loop stitcheswith the thread 54, the combination of the awl 30 and the hammer '48 maybe used by themselves to considerable advantage in order to pleat thetape whenever the tension on it slacks off. The result is shown in Fig.15 which is a small section taken through the toe of an insole 10wherein the tape 72 is secured to the insole only by cement, but

where an awl and hammer have been used to form the pleats 14 as abovedescribed.

Having thus disclosed my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine for operating on insoles, a feed foot and awl mountedadjacent to each other, means including a movable arm for moving themsimultaneously in an advancing path oblique to the surface of an insoleto perforate the latter, then in a path parallel thereto to feed theobliquely perforated insole and then in a retracting path to release it,a needle movable obliquely to enter the awl hole to deposit a loop ofthread therein at the end of the feeding step, and a presser membermovable at right angles to the surface of the insole to collapse thesides of the awl hole beneath it and about the deposited loop of thread.

2. Apparatus for operating on soles, comprising a reciprocable presserfoot, a feed foot, an awl mounted for movement with said feed foot alonga substantially elliptical path, the awl being set at an acute anglewith respect to the bottom of the feed foot to perforate a sole, and aneedle substantially aligned with said presser foot and said awl in thedirection of feed and movable along a path intersecting the path of thepresser foot at an acute angle to enter the owl hole to deposite a loopof thread therein after operation of the feed foot and before operationof the presser foot.

3. Apparatus for operating on soles, which comprises a feed foot and anawl mounted adjacent to each other and movable simultaneously in anadvancing path oblique to the surface of a sole for perforating thesole, then in a path parallel thereto to feed the obliquely perforatedsole, and then in a retracting path to release it; a needle movableobliquely to enter the awl hole at the end of the feeding step todeposit a loop of thread therein; a presser foot movable at right anglesto the surface of the sole to collapse the sides of the awl hole beneathit and about the deposited loop of thread; and a hammer movable towardand away from the surface of the sole to beat upon the sole after it hasbeen fed past the presser foot, said feed foot, awl, needle, presserfoot and hammer beig aligned and arranged to act on the sole in theorder recited.

4. Apparatus for operating upon soles, comprising an awl; a feed footmounted for movement with said awl along a substantially elllptieal pathincluding an advancing portion oblique to the surface of a sole forperforating the sole, a portion parallel thereto to feed the obliquelyperforated sole, and an upwardly inclined retracting portion to releasesaid sole; a needle movable in a direction parallel to the obliqueportion of the path of said awl and feed foot to deposit a loop ofthread in the hole made by the awl; and a reciprocable presser footmovable perpendicularly to the surface of the sole to collapse the awlhole about the deposited loop of thread, said awl, feed foot, needle andpresser foot being aligned and arranged to act on the sole in the orderrecited.

5. Apparatus for forming loop stitches in sole leather and the like,comprising an awl, a feed foot mounted for movement with the awl along asubstantially elliptical path, the awl being set at an acute angle withrespect to the bottom of the feed foot and being movable first to enterthe leather and then with the feed foot to advance it in a straight linepath, a needle movable in a direction substantially parallel to aportion of the path of said awl for inserting a thread loop in the holeformed by the awl, and a presser foot aligned with said awl and needlein the direction of feed and reciprocable along a fixed path "extendingperpendicularly to the surface or the leather, the paths of movement ofsaid presser foot and needle converging in an acute angle, whereby thepresser foot is effective to press the leather in an area above the holeformed by the awl and to collapse it upon the inserted thread loop.

ANDREW R. RIDDERSTROM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 645,424 Mower Mar. 13, 19001,368,059 Schick Feb. 8, 1921

